In 2016, the media website ComingSoon named the film's opening scene one of the greatest in horror film history.
The scene on the foredeck where the captain and the passengers are dancing, and the scene in the ballroom, was a common tradition at the time near the end of a transatlantic voyage. These were usually held near the coast as the ship approached the end of the trip, and these balls were called the "Captain's Ball".
Francesca Rettondini didn't speak English, which required director Steve Beck to get a translator on set so that she could understand his commands. This is also why she's not given much dialogue in the film, and what few lines she does have are in Italian.
The theatrical poster for Ghost Ship was inspired by the poster for Das Todesschiff (1980), another film about a haunted ocean liner.
Director Steve Beck's last feature film as a director. He previously directed another Dark Castle Entertainment horror film which was his directorial debut, 13 Geister (2001).